Developed in 1982 by Adobe Systems, the .ps extension is a file type used by the publishing industry. Prior to the development of PostScript, it was not possible to print images and text on the same page. Postscript addressed this by defining a language that allowed applications to instruct the printer how to display objects on the page. This file type revolutionised publishing allowing certain curved items to be printed that previously could only be printed on specialist CAD printers. Although no longer as popular or common as it was historically, it is still an important file type.
PostScript is actually a programming language as well as a file type. Typically files are created by applications such as Adobe Acrobat or Quark Xpress. Now a legacy file format, most printers and programs continue to support this format, with the only pre-requisite being a printer utility that supports PostScript. The file basically contains a set of instructions that tell the printer what to print and provide the co-ordinates on the page of where an object or text should be printed.
BMP is a standard image file format which was historically used by computers running the Windows operating system. The format is more commonly know as Bitmap files. The term bitmap was originally coined in computer programming to refer to a map of bits. Historically when you saved an image on your home PC you might have saved it as a .bhp file, this is becoming less common with .jpeg the preferred image file format with the advent of digital cameras.
Bitmap files are housed in a device-independent bitmap (DIB) format. The term device independent means that the bitmap specifies pixel color in a form independent of the method used by a display to represent color. This enables Windows to show the bitmap on any type of display device - such as your monitor.
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